“The
exquisite clarity of fear…” ~Gerald May
Dealing with Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be a life-long task. At this moment, there is no cure for
PTSD. There are many treatments, but no
cure. So, it helps to understand clearly
what you are facing in order to develop a strategy that works best for
you. One of the most challenging aspects
of PTSD in general is the differences in our brains. We know a lot about the brain as an organ and
certainly have a deep understanding of the systems involved, but our weakness
is in knowing how each person’s mind impacts the brains ability to heal. Think about your mind as the individual
thoughts and beliefs that you have based on your experiences and brain
chemistry. Because each person’s mind is
different, the course of PTSD will be different.
To tackle what
your mind is doing and how your PTSD is impacting you it will be very helpful
to understand what a trigger is and how to know if you have been triggered. A
trigger is something that sets off a negative psychological or physical reaction
in you. A trigger can be a place, a
person, an experience, a thought or a feeling.
The trigger is the thing that reminds your mind and brain of the past
trauma. As a result, your mind thinks
danger is happening and the sequence of the survival system is activated in the
brain (the organ).
The general area
of your brain responsible for activating the survival system is the
amygdala. The amygdala leads the charge
when danger comes your way. The amygdala
sends signals to the rest of the body systems to prepare for battle…the
amygdala is like the General. The
problem with the amygdala is that it does not have a sense of “date”. It cannot tell if the danger is really
happening. It just knows that this thing
has brought danger before. Once “trauma”
happens – you hit a tree while driving your car – your amygdala could associate
trees with danger. These traumatic
associations are VERY specific to each person.
This is a big part of what makes treating and dealing with PTSD so
challenging. You can see how important
it is to identify your specific triggers.
Without knowing what triggers you…it is nearly impossible to get better.
So, how do you
know if something is triggering to you?
You can determine if something is a trigger by paying attention to how
your body and mind react to it. If it is
a trigger to you, following exposure, you would experience:
- An increase in negative emotions
- Thoughts consist of associations between present situation and the past
- Experience physical sensations related to anxiety
It is crucial
that you begin to shift your awareness to these specific reactions throughout
the day. The key is noticing the shift
from “feeling OK” to “feeling awful” – or scared, frustrated, sad or
hopeless. It is in the moment of the
shift that you will be able to both identify the trigger and activate your
coping skill to minimize the impact of the trauma. That is your path to recovery.
A couple of tasks
that you can use to begin the awareness process include keeping a list of
triggers. One list – with no details of
why it’s a trigger – just the trigger.
You might notice some themes or start to realize that something is a
trigger that seems innocuous. By being
more aware – you will begin to take control over your mind, allowing you to
shift the meaning of triggers to something more accurate as well as allowing
you to get present – resist going back.
Another option to
begin the awareness process is to rate your emotions throughout the day. Create a rating scale for yourself that
documents your feelings. Throughout the
day check in with yourself. If your
number is high – stop and work to identify what might be triggering you. Don’t dig too deep – it is likely on the
surface and if not, move on.
Your mind is the
best weapon you have against what has been done to you. It is yours and yours alone. When the trauma is over, your mind wants your
brain to settle down and work efficiently.
Even though it feels like it is working against you – it is not meant
to. The survival system kept you alive –
essentially did it’s job. But when you
are safe, your survival system would much rather take a back seat to every day
living. It just doesn’t believe that it
can. With clarity about what is really
happening for you – you can teach your brain that you are safe.
Peace to you,
Jennifer
